Advancements in camera drone technology are proving that there’s still fertile ground to cultivate in the creative industries regarding hardware. And while the base tech itself has been around for some time, it wasn’t until brands like DJI came around that average consumers were able to access intuitive and manageable drones. It’s only been two years since DJI dropped the Air 2S, a compact yet powerful drone, but they’re back with the DJI Air 3, which is lighter, longer-lasting, and (for the first time in the lineup) has omnidirectional obstacle-sensing.
Coming in at just 720g, the Air 3 may be lightweight, but the real eye-catcher is the dual-camera system on the front. These 1/1.3″ CMOS medium telephoto and wide-angle primary cameras are capable of 48MP photos and 4K/60FPS video, and a flight time of up to 46 minutes ensures you have more opportunities to capture the action. Speaking of action, the medium tele camera uses FocusTrack to keep the subject locked into the center of the frame, so the excitement is always in focus. The new omnidirectional obstacle sensing allows you to be bold with capturing footage, as the Air 3 can sense obstacles and make adjustments. And the Waypoint Flight feature lets you plan routes and movements so you can focus on getting the shot instead of maneuvering the drone.
You can use the Lightcut App and QuickTransfer to edit your content on a smartphone, and the Air 3 is also the first in the series that allows you to shoot and upload vertical videos online in 2.7K.
The DJI Air 3 is available now, starting at $1,099 for the option with just the RC-N2 remote. For $1,349, you get two extra batteries and a charging hub, and the $1,549 package comes with an RC 2 controller and a 5.5-inch 1080p display.
